The tool was launched in June 2011 and provides research campuses with high-level information to inform their campus action plans, such as which technology options (buildings, transportation, and energy sources) can have the most impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Nearly two years in the making, the project was originally an Excel spreadsheet that the NREL turned into an interactive tool, which allows users to enter their data via an accordion menu that automatically calculates data and dynamically generates a graph and summary report.